82" /210cm Video Tripod Heavy Duty Tripod with 360° Fluid Head,Mactrem Aluminum Tall Tripods Professional Compatible with Canon Nikon Sony DSLR Camera Camcorder Telescope Bnoculars (Load 33Lb)

Conclusion: best tripod under $500.So a lil background. my main tripod is the Sachtler fsb8 with flowtech75, which cost me $4k. My run n gun tripod is the sachtler fsb8 with 75/2 cf l, which cost me $3k. I use this instead of the flowtech for lower profile and lighter legs. Camera wise all my setups (currently red, bmd and original Alexa) all weights around 25-30lbs.When purchasing this tripod, what I wanted is just a dirt cheap stand that I can rest my camera on instead of storing in cases at home, at the price point, I didn’t expect it to do anything besides holding my camera at the lowest position. Oh well was I wrong.The fluid head is very smooth to operate. They don’t have drag controls for different axles, but I found the resistance to be just at my sweet spot, most importantly, tilt and pan resistance are at the same level, resulting in a very smooth operation of the tripod which I’ve never seen at this price range.It’s not a side load plate, but could be used as one by loosing up enough.The tripod does not come with counterbalance, just like all other tripods at this price range, but what surprised me is that the fluid head actually would withhold my 26lbs setup once properly balanced using dovetail plate on camera. It won’t hold at any degrees but it will for around +-30.The legs are heavy duty, the locking point is very strong and I was able to put around 60lbs of force on it without any problem.Basically, to do an unfair comparison of this $100 tripod and the $4000 sachtler flowtech,You are spending that $3900 more for 1. Lighter 2. Easier up and down (it is good but not worth the extra $$$$) 3. Ability to go low. 4. Drag controlNothing more. To me, I would buy this for $200 without a blink. It’s just too good at this price.All that said, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a budget tripod, so dont expect it to last decades like sachtler or oconnor. But compare to other consumer brands like manfrotto I do think the quality is at least on par. (Manfrotto lasts around 3-8 years in my experience). If your tripod budget is below $500 and you need one that can hold big and heavy, I truly don’t think you can find a better choice than this.

This is a very sturdy and well built tripod for a very affordable price! I have been looking for a tripod that could hold a telescope and wouldn't move after being locked in on an image! It moves the telescope very smoothly and holds its position really well which is very important when you're trying to look at something in the night sky! It is very sturdy and adjustable for height! It is easy to breakdown and move around with as well because it is pretty light weight for being such a sturdy tripod. Very pleased with this purchase!!

We use it during church service. It is very tall and also not to heavy. It is very sturdy. It’s easy to set up too.

I needed a tripod that could hold my giant 20X100 astronomy binoculars, and most tripods that can hold their mammoth weight can also cost an astronomical amount. I honestly wasn't expecting much at this price, but I'm so far thoroughly impressed. I already had an actual tripod with a parallelogram mount that costs 4 times as much, and this tripod seems of comparable adjustability, stability and quality. This tripod isn't exactly light, but doesn't weigh more than it should considering that can hold over 30 pounds. Still, it's weight is something to consider if you're planning on carrying it significant distances. All considered, this is a nice tripod for the price, and very well-built. The included carrying bag is also of great quality. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this tripod to anyone looking for a rugged and sturdy mount for their equipment.

I have been searching for a tall tripod that can support the amount of gear I use and there aren't many options under $200. I saw this on sale and decided to take a chance. The tripod is sturdy and can support multiple pieces of equipment. The biggest negative is the head as it is impossible to adjust the tension when the camera is in certain positions. This may be a non issue for most but I shoot astrophotography and vertical (90°) shots of the sky and when in that position I cannot adjust the turning tension to stop or allow rotation. Other than that it is rather heavy but that's pretty unavoidable with what I'm looking to support. I recommend this for anyone on a budget.

I don't have anything much to add to previous reviews, other than to say that, for the money (there is often a twenty to thirty dollar off deal), I haven't used anything as good as this one. I don't have any high end tripods, but I honestly like this one more than my Manfroto Nitrotech 608. Of course, only time will tell about the longevity of this, but at the performance to price ratio this thing brings there is no way I could complain.It is heavy, but I knew that coming in. It isn't going to be lugged out into the forest, so the weight of it doesn't bother me. It is very easy to setup and adjust in height, and is steady all the way up to 80"! As mentioned above, only time will tell about the longevity, but so far the leg clamps have worked well, clamping tightly but easily - with no slippage. No parts have come loose so far. It has already been used about three dozen times, so it has easily paid for itself.I honestly can't nitpick anything on this tripod, given the price. Absolutely a five star item.